Led by Padua stables trainer Steve Asmussen, "Curlin" will race in Saturday's Kentucky Derby as the favorite.

  Curlin is undefeated, unchallenged and in drawing the #2 post for Saturday's race, the imposing chestnut colt even gets to start from the same spot Affirmed did on his way to winning the Triple Crown in 1978 - the last horse to do so.

The question is: Can he win it?

"We don't know how good this horse is, but he's just been dominating," Churchill Downs oddsmaker Mike Battaglia said in making the colt a slight 7-2 favorite over 4-1 Street Sense.

Still, Curlin has a few things to overcome.  He didn't compete as a 2-year-old and has run only three races.  In his career - though he won them by a combined 28 lengths.

History isn't on his side, either. It's been 125 years since Apollo won after skipping his 2-year-old season, and not since the filly Regret in 1915 has such a lightly seasoned horse worn the blanket of red roses.

Curlin will be ridden by Robby Albarado in a full field of 20 3-year-olds going 1¼ miles.  Besides Curlin, trainer Steve Asmussen will saddle Zanjero, a 30-1 shot, who will start outside Curlin.